Toy track switch



Dec. 29, 192 5- J. FORCHHEIMER TOY TRACK SWITCH Filed Jan. 21, 1925 AORNEY Patented Dec. 29, 1925.

PATENT OFFICE.

JULIUS FORCHHEIMEE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

TOY TRACK SWITCH.

Application filed January To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, Jones Fononi-iniiinn, a citizen of Germany, residingat New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Toy Track Switches, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to track switches for toy railroads and among itsobjects are to provide an improved track switch and an improved meanswhereby the same may be operated either manually or automatically from adistance. The switch constructed in accordance with my invention issimple and economical in construction and eflective and durable in use.

Other objects and advantages will appear from the following descriptiontaken in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein Fig. 1 is aplan view of a track switch and operating means constructed inaccordance with one embodiment of my invention; Fig. 2 is a sectiontaken on the line.22 of Fig. 1, certain of the parts being shown inelevation, and Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line 3'3 of Fig. 1,certain of the parts being broken away.

In the drawing, 10 represents a base of sheet metal of the form shownand which is turned over at the edges to form supporting'flanges 11. Thebase 10' is formed with a rectangular opening 12 beneath which issecured a supporting plate 14 of suitable insulating material. Theswitch 15 comprises diverging tracks 16 and 17, a frog 18, and switchpoints 19 and 20. Switch point 20 comprises a wire or metal bar 21,tapered at each end as shown and rigidly held in a sheet metal member 24which in turn is secured to the plate 14 by means of a clip 25. The rearend 26 of the bar 21 is spaced somewhat from the rail 17 so as to permitthe flange of the car wheel to enter between the point 21 and the rail.Switch point19 is movable and comprises a rod or wire 30' secured in themetal member 31 which is pivoted to the plate 14 at 32. The switch point19 is adapted to occupy either one of two positions as shown in full anddotted lines on Fig. 1 of the drawing. In the position shown in full 21,1925. Serial No. 3,713.

lines, the switch is in such position that a train approaching from thelower partof the figure will be directed toward the right by engagementof the flanges of the left hand wheels of the train with the inclinedsurface 38 of the switch point 19. This engagement will result inforcing the flanges of the right hand wheels of the train into suchposition that they will pass between the switch point 21 and the rail17. When the switch point 19 is in the position shown in dotted lines inFig. 1, the train will be directed toward the left and in this case, theflanges of the left hand wheels will engage the inclined surface 40 ofthe switch point 19 which will move the train in such a way that theflanges of the right hand wheels will engage the left hand surface ofthe switch point 20. From this construction, it will be evident that byforming the switch points in the manner shown and with the switch point19 extending some distance to the rear of the switch point 20, theswitching of the train may be effected by the movement of but one of thetwo switch points.

43 indicates the end of a third rail which is suitably supported andinsulated from the other parts of the apparatus and is adapted to besupplied from a source of current not shown and to supply such currentto the vehicle to propel the same. The entreme end of the rail 13 isprovided with a fin 45, which is adapted to raise the grooved wheelcurrent collector 42 that is carried by the vehicle to the top of thethird rail as the train is turning at the switch so as to facilitate thedisengagement of the collector from the third rail and its passage overone or other of the switch points.

As a means for operating the switch point 19, I provide a member whichis secured to the switch point 19 at 51 and extends beneath the track,thence upwardly through an opening 52 in the plate 10 and along the topof the plate 10, thence upwardly to a point 53 and horizontally to itsend. The horizontal end portion of the member 50 is formed with a slot55 through which is adapted to extend an arm 56 se cured to the shaft 57of an electric torque motor 58 having an armature 59 and field i 60.When the motor is deenergized, the

armature 59 occupies the position shown in full lines in Fig. 2 and isheld in this position by means of a spring 62 which is secured at oneend to the end of the arm 56 and at its other end to the base plate 10.When the motor is energized, the armature rotates in a counter-clocnwisedirection as indicated by the ar ow in Fig. 2 to a position atapproximately right angles to the position shown in Fig. 2. In somoving, the arm 56 engages the right hand end of the-slot 55 andmovesthe member 50 so as to swing the switch point 19V to the positionshown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. The opening 55 is made somewhat largerthan is necessary to accommodate the arm 56 so that upon movement in oneor the other direction, the arm '56 will strike the member 50 a blow soas to insure the positive movement of the switch point to its other operative position and avoid danger of its sticking or stopping at anintermediate position. A further advantage of employing this lost motionconnection between the arm 56 and the member 50 is that it permits theemployment of a motor of smaller capacity than would otherwise beneeded. When the motor is energized, considerable momentum is stored inthe arm 56 and armature and shaft before the arm 56 engages the member50. The switch point is then moved by the combined effect of the torqueon the motor 58 and the momentum of the parts which have previously beenset in motion. Similarly, when the motor is deenergized, the spring 62stores momentum in these movable parts of the motor which assists inmoving the switch point. Current is supplied. to the motor from abattery 65, one tern'iinal of which is connected to the base plate 10and the other terminal connected to a terminal 66 through a switch 67which in order to prevent a waste of current by being accidentally leftclosed, is biased to open position by spring 68. From the terminal 66,a. conductor leads to the field 60 of the motor, thence to the insulatedterminal 68, brush 69 and conducting ring 70, which is mounted upon butinsulated from the shaft 57 of the motor. From ring TO, a conductor 71leads to the armature winding, the other terminal of which is groundedat 80, as shown, on the shaft 57. The motor is preferably enclosed in asuitable housing 81 shown broken away in Fig. 2. This housing may beremovably secured to the base plate 10 by any suitable means.

I claim:

1. A toy switch formed of a sheet metal base member having a rectangularopening therein, diverging tracks secured to said members, a supportingplate secured beneath said opening and a fixed switch point and amovable switch point carried by said supporting plate.-

2. In a device of the class described, a metal support and switch tracksmounted upon said support, an electrical third rail between said tracksinsulated from said support, said support being formed with an openingbeneath said tracks, an insulating plate-secured beneath said opening,and a switch comprising insulated switch points mounted upon said plate.

3. In a toy electric railroad, a pair of diverging tracks, a conductorbetween said tracks adapted to supply current to a moving vehiclethereon, a stationary switch point for one of said tracks insulatedtherefrom, a switch point for the other of said tracks movable into andout of contact with the other of said tracks and a mounting for saidswitch point whereby the said switch is insulated from said tracks whenin a position out of contact therewith.

4. In a toy railway, a switch comprising a movable switch point, anelectric motor having a shaft, means biasing the shaft to one positionand a lost motion connection between said shaft and said switch pointwhereby upon energizing of said motor said switch point is moved by ablow.

5. In a toy railway, a switch comprising a movable switch point, anelectric motor having a shaft, means biasing the shaft to one positionand a lost motion connection between said shaft and said switch pointwhereby upon energizing and deenergizing of the motor the movement ofthe switch point is facilitated by the blow incident to 7. In a toyswitch, a support, a movablp/ switch point mounted thereon, means fomoving said point comprising an electric motor having a shaft, amember'secured to said point and having a slot therein, an arm securedto the shaft of said motor and extending through said slot, and a springfor biasing said motor and switch to one position comprising a springsecured at one end to said arm and at its other end to said support.

8. In a toy switch, asupporting plate, a movable switch point mountedthereon, means for moving said point comprising an electric motor havinga shaft, a member secured to said point and having a slot therein, anarm secured to the shaft of said motor and extending through said slot,and a spring for biasing said motor and switch to one positioncomprising a spring secured at one end to said arm and at its other endto said supporting plate, an operating circuit for said motor comprisinga source of current and a manually operative switch, said switch beingbiased to open position.

9. A device of the class described, a pair of diverging tracks, a pairof switch points between said tracks, a third rail between said tracksand terminating between said switch points, said third rail beingadapted to be engaged by a grooved Wheel collector, said third railterminating in an enlarged flat upper surface so as to facilitate thedisengagement of said roller from said rail.

JULIUS FORCHHEIMER.

